Spring-roller for curtains



(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

L. L. SAWYER.

SPRING ROLLER FOR CURTAINS.

No. 288,128. Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.

"L. L. SAWYER.

SPRING ROLLER 03 CURTAINS.

Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

m I u l n I 0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LODONIOK L. SAW YER, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

SPRlNG-ROLLER FOR CURTAINS.

SFEGIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No. 288,123, dated November6, 1883.

Application filed September 19,1883. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LODOWICK L. SAWYE of Meriden, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inSpring Rollers for Curtains; and I do hereby declare the following, whentaken in connectionwith accompanying draw ings and the letters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, andwhich said drawings constitute part of this specification,and represent, 111- Figure 1,- a sectional side view; Fig. 2, an endView, showing the spindle as fixed in the bracket; Fig. 3, a transversesection outside thepawl, looking toward the roll, showing the pawl asengaged with the roll in its usual working condition in the bracket;Fig. 4, a section on the same line, showing the pawl as engagedwiththeroll when removed from the bracket; Fig. 5, a horizontal sectionon line m a; of Fig. 1;Fig. 6, a transverse section between the pawl andend of the roll, and looking toward the bracket.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class ofcurtain-fixtures in whichthe roll is constructed with a longitudinalchamber at one end, concentrically through which is a spindle extendingoutward into abracket, where it is fixed as to rotation, with a helicalspring arranged in the chamber of the roll and around the spindle, oneend attached to the spindle and the other to the roll, whereby indrawing down the curtain the roll is rotated and winds the spring, sothat when free to react the spring will turn the roll in the oppositedirection and wind the curtain onto the roll; and particularly to thatclass in which a pawl is hinged or hung in connection with the spindlein a plane .at substantially right angles to the axis of the spindle,and so that it may fall byits own gravity toward the end of the roll toengage a notch in the end of the roll and hold the curtain at anydesired posi-V tion, but so that, if the ascent of the curtain, andconsequent revolution of the roll,be rapid, the pawl cannot enter thenotch in the end of the spindle, and therefore will permit the roll tothus revolve; but when the speed of rotation of the roll'be retardedsufficiently, then roll.

the pawl will engage the roll. This construction is shown in Fig. 1, andin which A represents the roll; 13, a helical spring arranged in alongitudinal chamber in the roll; 0, the spindle, its outer end, D,fitted for engagement with the bracket, so as to prevent rotation, andin the usual manner. One end of the spring Bis attached to the roll andthe other to the spindle, and so that when the spindle is held in itsbracket the rotation of the roll, as in unrolling the curtain, will windthe spring. Attachedto the spindle and outside the roll a disk, E, ishung to the spindle, as at a, here represented as upon the inher face ofa disk, F, which is attached to or made a part of the spindle, and so asto be held stationary with the spindle when fixed in thebracket. Thehinging-point of the pawl is so far distant from the end of the rollthat its upper or nose end, I), inclines toward the roll, and by its owngravityfalls toward the V In the end of the roll is one or more notches,d, into which the nose Z; of the disk or pawl will fall. The nose I) ofthe pawl is shaped, as seen in Fig. 5, square upon one side and inclinedupon the opposite side, the square end being in adirection to engage theroll and prevent its rotation under the reaction of the spring, but sothat when the roll revolves in the opposite direction under the actionof the spring, the shoulder or notch in the roll will strike theinclineon the pawl and force the pawl outward, so that the roll mayescape from the pawl. This is acommon and well-known construction. Inthis class of ourtain-fixtures a difficulty is experienced arising fromtheliability of the spring to run down when the fixture is not secure inthe bracket. The spring must be wound to a certain extent before it isplaced in the bracket, so as to acquire suificient strength to supportthe curtain in its highest or completely-wound condition. If the nose ofthe pawl or diskEbe engaged with the notch in the roll, it will so holdthe spring in its wound condition that the spindle may be disengagedfrom the bracket, as in removing the roll, and the spring still be held;but if in removing the spindle from the bracketthe person, as one almostunavoidably will, turns the roll with relation to the spindle, so as tothrow 1O perienced as in removing the roll, because of the liability ofthe spring to obtain its freedom and run down. Many devices have beenmade to operate between the roll and spindle to automatically engage theroll and spindle when out of the bracket, and so that the spring may bewound at the manufactu'rers and re- ,main so until placed in thebracket, and also so as to prevent the spring from running down whenremoved from the bracket; but these devices have as a general thing beencomplicated and independent of the pawl, which operates to engage theroll on slow speed when in the bracket.

The object of my invention is to adapt the .25 particular constructionhereinbefore described what narrower than the diameter of the spin dleand flatten the spindle upon its two sides,

so that the pawl set over this part of the spin- 0 dle will be permittedto swing toward and from the end of thespindle, as before, but will alsobe free to move radially in the line of the slot G; and I make the seata so as to permit a certain amount of radial movement of the 4 5 pawl,and so that when standing in its working condition, as seen in Fig. 1,the pawl will operate in the before mentioned and usual manner. From thepawl I make a radial projection, (1, preferably of hook. shape,

the hook being in the direction in which the spring will revolve thespindle. The spindle extending through the slot G, if it be free torevolve, will revolve the pawl with the spindle. The projection d willbe substantiallythe slot G. Around the end of the roll is a flange, H,in which are one or more openings, notches,

or shoulders, e. The internal radius of this flange is somewhat greaterthan the radius of the pawl, including the projection d. If the '60 rollbe takenfrom the bracket, so as to release the spindle, the firstoperation of the spring the instant the spindle escapes from the bracketis to impart a quick, rapid rotation thereto. This rapid rotationimparts centrifthe heavier end or projection d outward and theengagement was made.

into contact with the inside of the flange H. The openings or shoulders6 being in line with the/projection d in such rotation, the centrifugalforce thus imparted to the pawl forcing 7o it outward will cause theprojection d to enter the first notch e in its path, and as seen in Fig.4, which will arrest its further rotation and engage the spindle androll, so that the spring cannot run down. The hook shape of theprojection makes the engagement more positive orprevents accidentaldisengagement,

for with such ahook shape the spindle cannot be disengaged until it bemechanically turned in the opposite direction to that with which Thisrotation of the spindle and pawl takes the spindle into a differentposition from which it held in relation to the notches e in the end ofthe roll, and

so that in replacing the roll in the bracket the spindle will be set inits seat in the bracket in its predetermined position, and so that whenso fixed the projection d of the pawl will be at the top, and the pawlwill be hung by its nose to the flange above its seat a, as seen inbroken lines, Fig. 6. Then as soonas the curtainis drawn downward torelieve the pawl from its engagement with the roll, the pawl will fallto its normal position, as seen in Figs. 3 and 6, and the fixture be inits proper working condition. By this construction,therefore,the

single pawl E serves the double purpose of engaging the roll in theordinary working of the curtain, and also to engage the roll and spindlewhen removed from the bracket. I00

Instead of making the flange H at the end of the roll and constructingit with shoulders or notches 6, these shoulders or notches may be madeby,simply introducing a pin into the end of the roll, as indicated at f,Fig. 1.

I claim- 1. The combination of the roll vA, spindle 0, arrangedlongitudinally therein and concentrictherewith,the spring B within saidroll, one end fixed to the spindle and the other to no the roll, thespindle constructed for engagement with the bracket to prevent itsrotation, yet permit the roll to revolve, andthe pawl E, hung to thespindle, and so as to swing in a plane parallel with the axis of thespindle, and also I 15 A free for radialmovement, the roll constructedwith a shoulder or wall of the openings, with which the pawl will engageto arrest the winding of the curtain upon the roll, and also providedwith a notch or shoulder, c, with which the pawl cannot engage when thespindle is fixed in the bracket, but with which, under centrifugalforce, the pawl will engage when the spindle is removed from thebracket, substantially'as described. 12 5 2. The combination of the rollA, spindle 0, arranged longitudinally therein and concentrictherewith,the spring B within said roll,

one end fixed to the spindle and the other to the roll, the spindleconstructed for engagement I 30 with the bracket to prevent itsrotation, yetpermit the roll to revolve, and the pawl E, hung to thespindle, and so as to swing in a plane et, then, undercentrifugal forceimparted IO parallel with thea-xis of the spindle, and also through thespindle, the proj eotion d on the free for radial movement, the pawlconstructed pawl will be thrown into hooked engagement with ahook-shaped projection, cl, and the roll' with said shoulder or wall ofthe opening, sub- 5 with a shouldenor openings arranged with ge'stantially as described;

lation to each other, so that when fixed in the LODOYVIGK L. SAYVYER.bracket the said projection d cannot engage Witnesses:

with the shoultler or wall of the opening, but WM '1. RIGHTMYER, whenthe spindle is removed from the braok- L. J. GAINES.

